I Like Her Maybe
by Kuroaki
Summary: Renji likes someone. And it's not Rukia. Extremely fanon and random. Do not expect a real plot. One-shot.


Renji did not know when it had begun.

Not that it was anything serious, anyway. As far as he had remembered, Rukia had been the first girl he had ever thought of as a girl, and would continue to be.

But he had never thought of _her_ as a girl. In fact, he thought of her only as a woman.

And woman indeed she was – her feminine features lacking the seduction of, say, the vice-captain of the tenth division, or even the girly elegance of Rukia - but as feminine as she was motherly.

Renji blamed it on the fact that he couldn't remember what having a mother was like.

At first he had attributed it to sheer male embarrassment at being checked so thoroughly at regular health checkups Kuchiki-taichou forced the squad to undergo. But when he noticed a certain dip in enthusiasm and a further dip in concern about being _seen _when Isane-fukutaichou took over, he wondered whether it was a warning sign.

It was definitely a warning sign when he fantasised about resting with his head on her lap.

It was getting out of hand when he had to fight an urge to bankai his taichou out of the way when he caught them conversing in her office.

Renji decided to take it out on someone.

_.xxxxx_

Hinamori blinked.

"Excuse…me?"

Renji glared at her, daring her to ask him to repeat what he had just uttered moments ago.

Hinamori cowered under his glare. They had been close as classmates, but as far as female fatales went, she definitely wasn't one.

"Okay!" she squeaked. "But…why are you telling me this?"

"Don't ask stupid questions. What should I do?"

Hinamori yelped. "I-I don't know! I mean, I don't – I've never – I mean, I appreciate it, but I don't know how to help you either-"

Renji clutched his head.

"Maybe if we asked Rangi-"

"NOOO!" The very thought made his insides wrench in fear.

"Okay, we won't," Hinamori squeaked. "But I don't know what to do! I'm sorry, Abarai-kun, but I don't really know what to do. Maybe you should try to forget it."

"I've tried, I can't!"

"What about Rukia-san-"

"Sure, and Ichigo will come blasting half of Soul Society away. I mean, not that I care, but I lost my chance the day she told me she was being adopted. I think I know when to quit."

Hinamori sighed. "Give me some time to think. I'll figure something out. And yes," she added when Renji opened his mouth again, "I won't breathe a word to anybody, especially the other guys."

_xxxx_

It was a good thing that Hinamori wasn't working under anybody these days, so nobody was chewing her out for being distracted.

Nobody except a certain short white-haired captain.

"Oi! Hinamori!" Startled, she jumped and knocked over a stack of papers. "What are you doing daydreaming here? Have you forgotten that today's your check-up day? Unohana-taichou was about to send a hell butterfly, but I told her I would be passing through."

"Oh!" Hinamori squeaked, jumping up. "Y-yes, I'm going."

Hitsugaya Toushirou looked at her closely. "Are you sure you can make it there? You look so dazed, you look like someone's just broken into your division."

"Y-yes, I'm fine-"

Hitsugaya looked at her suspiciously.

_xxx_

"Really, Shirou-chan, there's no need-"

"That's Hitsugaya-taichou to you, and you look so dazed you might wander off to twelfth by mistake. I don't want Unohana-taichou thinking I didn't pass her message on."

"I'm sorry," Hinamori apologized in a small voice.

Hitsugaya sighed impatiently.

Hinamori was having a battle of wills. It wasn't that she had forgotten her check-up; she had been wondering whether she should ask Unohana-taichou certain…_things_. Before she knew it, she had overstayed in her office. Now that she was finally making her way to the Fourth Division, the battle of wills raged on with all ferocity.

"Yes, maybe I'll- huh?" She snapped out her reverie to notice Hitsugaya staring curiously at her.

"What did you just mumble?"

"Ahhh! Umm, nothing! Nothing at all! Just..wondering if Unohana-taichou thinks I should, uh, cut my hair! That's all!" Hinamori said, a blush creeping on to her cheeks. An obvious, blatant lie, given how she adored her long hair, but Hitsugaya would have to buy it.

Which he didn't, of course, but Hinamori was too distracted to worry about it now.

They had reached the Fourth Division.

_xxxxxxxx_

"Your zanpakutou, please, Hinamori-san." Unohana smiled kindly through Hinamori's repeated apologies for being late.

"A-anou, Unohana-taichou," Hinamori suddenly blurted out. It was now or never!

Unohana stopped her examination. "Hai?"

"It's a bit rude of me to ask and it's none of my business, but…" Hinamori squeezed her eyes shut and spoke in a rush, "areyouseeinganyone?"

Unohana-taichou blinked. "Hai?"

Hinamori clamped her hands over her eyes and peeped out in between her fingers. Unohana-taichou, she was relieved to see, didn't look mad. She had, however, a quizzical smile on her face.

"Unohana-taichou…you are….seeing someone. aren't you." Hinamori, for some absurd reason, drew an early conclusion. Of course, she would be. She was so beautiful and dignified, she must have plans in that direction.

"Actually, no, I'm not," Unohana supplied, still smiling a little perplexedly. "But Hinamori-san, why the sudden question?"

"Eh? You're not?"

"No, I'm not."

"Oh! Okay!" Hinamori suddenly felt an unexplained dash of courage. "Would you be interested to?"

"To?"

"To, uh," Hinamori suddenly faltered, "to see someone."

Unohana raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat bemused. "You mean, like…"

Now Hinamori realised how embarrassing the conversation was turning out to be. "Uh, h-hai."

To her relief, Unohana didn't laugh it off, but rather, sat down as though she was seriously contemplating the question. "I suppose that depends…"

"Um…on?"

"As long as it's not Kuchiki-taichou…"

Hinamori couldn't help it; she giggled.

_xxxxxx_

"A-ba-ra-i-kun."

Renji jumped and nearly impaled his own foot with his own zanpakutou.

"Hinamori! What are you doing popping out – what are you doing here?"

"Why, to see you, of course!" Hinamori was too cheerful for Renji's liking. "Let's take a walk…"

Meanwhile, in the Fourth Division, Unohana Retsu was having fun.

Hisagi Shuuhei gulped. "You mean, seeing-seeing someone?"

"Yes, I do," Unohana confirmed placidly.

Not sure where the conversation was going, Hisagi gulped. "I-I d-don't think so…"

"Well, would you?"

"D-depends …"

"On?"

"A-as long as it's not S-Soi Fon-taichou…" He dared not say who he really preferred, not willing to risk self-humiliation.

"Well…could you lie down for a minute?"

"S-sure…"

xxxxxxxxx

"So I think you should go for it!"

Renji stared at her, aghast.

"Well, you don't have to worry about Kuchiki-taichou! You know she doesn't like him!" Hinamori was all optimism. "In fact, does he even like her? That is the q-"

"Ho-hold on, Hinamori! Do you hear what you're saying?"

Hinamori huffed. "What? What's so bad? Unohana-taichou isn't even that much older, you know, she looks older because of the way she dresses, but she's actually about as old as Ise-san. Well, don't tell anybody that, but…."

Renji smacked his face.

_xxxxxx_

"Hinamori-san's cute, don't you think?"

"I-I guess so…"

_xxxxxxx_

Renji walked into his captain's office.

"Ah, Renji, on your way out, I need these delivered to the Fourth Division. I'd ask a –"

Kuchiki Byakuya blinked at the stack of papers shoved haphazardly onto his desk, and the space where Renji should have been.

Sighing, he summoned a hell butterfly.

owari

A/N: Utterly random. Sorry. But I was toying around with a RenjiXUnohana and it wouldn't leave me alone. Sorry.


End file.
